284 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



" slowly as she liked. Her danger would be in coming down. 

 " Now, if we look at the junks on the downward voyage, we 

 " find that, with only just sufficient power on board to give them 

 " steerage way, they have no difficulty in keeping in the middle 

 " of the channel, where there is at all seasons plenty of water 

 " for light-draft vessels, as well as plenty of room ; consequently 

 '■ a steamer of the same draft, following in the wake of the junks, 

 " can hardly fail to go right, and as time went on, the captain of 

 " a steamer would learn the river, and proceed with greater con- 

 " fidence. Competent pilots take the junks down each dangerous 

 " rapid ; they have landmarks by which they know the depth of 

 " the water on every dangerous rock, as the level of the water 

 "varies from day to day, and the cumbersome junks are steered 

 " down by them in perfect safety. Most of the accidents coming 

 " down stream occur to the small boats, whose masters think 

 "they can safely dispense with a local pilot. Of course, a 

 "steamer, to succeed, must be specially constructed for the 

 " work ; and to the fact that no such steamer has as yet been 

 " procurable in Chinese and Japanese waters must be attributed 

 " the neglect to make the experiment, conditionally sanctioned 

 " in the Convention of Chefoo. This Convention, made by Sir 

 " Thomas Wade with Li Hung Chang, as long ago as 1876, 

 "stipulates that arrangements for the opening of the port of 

 " Chung-king to foreign trade may be taken into consideration, 

 " as soon as steamers have succeeded in ascending the river so 

 "far. The wording of the Convention is involved enough to 

 " satisfy the professional pride of the most thorough-going 

 " diplomatist, containing as it does the seeds of a quarrel ready 

 " to hand, for either of the high contracting parties to take up 

 " at any time. The clause affecting the Upper River is a notable 

 " instance of not allowing a boy to enter the water until he has 

 "learnt to swim. Doubtless, when a suitable steamer is pre- 

 " pared to ascend, pressure will be brought to bear on the 

 " Chinese to gain the necessary permission to try the experiment ; 

 " but there can be little doubt but that the Peking authorities 

 " will shelter themselves behind the ambiguous clauses of the 

 "Treaty as long as they can, so as to avoid giving their 

 " consent." 



